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MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. (WSMV) – An investigation is underway after a fatal shooting involving a Mount Juliet police officer Wednesday night.
Investigators said the incident happened just after 11 p.m. on South Mount Juliet Road near the intersection with Central Pike.
What started as a traffic stop on a busy road came as surprising news to some who live, work and drive along South Mount Juliet Road.
“I was surprised. I was shocked,” said Juan Rosas, who drives the road every day.
Rosas said he was unaware of an officer-involved shooting when he was stopped around 4 a.m. Thursday.
“I was coming onto Central Pike heading north on Mount Juliet Road. It was blocked, it was actually closed,” Rosas said. “They wouldn’t let any vehicles through, so I actually had to cut through the gas station and take Central Pike.”
At some point during the traffic stop, a Mount Juliet officer was speaking to the car’s passenger, 39-year-old Eric Jermaine Allen, investigators said.
Allen moved into the driver’s seat and drove away with the officer inside the vehicle, they said.
The officer tried to deescalate the situation with a stun gun, but Allen ignored it, and that’s when the officer fired, police said.
Allen died at the scene.
“I was trying to figure out where it was this morning and I knew exactly where it was, I’m close to where I’m going,” said Tim Hardy, who works at a seafood store near the scene.
Hardy works on a business strip at the intersection of Central Pike and South Mount Juliet Road. He said it was too busy.
“It’s a concern, but I’m not afraid,” Hardy said. “It’s a concern because it hits close to home. I live a mile (away).
Mount Juliet police said they should release the name of the officer who fired the shot next week after completing an interview/debriefing/mental health well-being period.
The officer is on regular administrative leave during the investigation.
The Wilson County District Attorney General said there was body-worn camera footage of the incident.
Jason Lawson said the TBI has the body-worn camera footage and was reviewing it Wednesday night. Lawson said he hopes to release the footage when he knows it won’t compromise the investigation.
The investigation into the shooting is being handled by the TBI.
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